


Patience Janson-Summers and the Mysterious Disappearance

by LectorEl



Series: Patience Verse [3]
Category: Batman (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Patience Janson-Summers, Pru and Tim put up a hell of a fight, here be dead bodies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-27
Updated: 2012-09-27
Packaged: 2017-11-23 04:30:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/618091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LectorEl/pseuds/LectorEl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Patience comes home to a quiet house, and the sense that something is very, very wrong.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Patience Janson-Summers and the Mysterious Disappearance

“Mom, Dad, I’m ho..me…” Patience’s voice trailed off as she opened their front door. Something was _wrong_. Patience didn’t know what had set her off, but Mom and Dad had taught her to trust her instincts.

She carefully set her backpack down, and never looking away from the open, seemingly undisturbed living room, knelt and unlocked the small gunsafe in the hall closet. Dad hadn’t approved of her having a key. But Mom had insisted, and at the moment, Patience was very grateful she had. She slid her Taurus revolver out of the safe, and a handful of ammunition with it.

 _Don’t think you’re safe just because you’ve got a gun in your hand, baby-girl,_ Mom’s voice echoed in her ear.

 _I know, Mom_ , Patience promised, and carefully slotted the bullets into place. She rose to a half-crouch, keeping her body low to minimize the target she presented, and started working her way deeper into the house.

The kitchen was empty of life. One of their meat cleavers was missing from the knife block, and the other was embedded in the island’s countertop. A shattered plate and a few thin spatters of blood were scattered across the white linoleum floor. She pulled her sleeve over her hand and swiped it over one of bloodstains. Partially congealed, half-dried around the edges. Dad would know how old it was down to the minute, but all Patience could tell was that it had been shed at least ten minutes ago. Probably longer. She should have paid more attention to that in her first aid class, Patience thought ruefully.

The bathroom and the dining room were both clear as well- the sharp corner of the dining room table was smeared with more congealing blood, short blond hairs and a small chunk of someone’s scalp caught in the tacky blood. A mean smile tugged at Patience’s mouth. Nobody in their family was blond. _You go, Mom_.

Patience held her breath as she climbed the stairs to the second floor. More blood was smeared in a long streaks on the hallway walls, and through the open door of the hall bathroom, she could see the medicine cabinet had been smashed, and the shower curtain-rod and all-had been yanked down.

The door to her parents’ bedroom was ajar. She swallowed, lifted her revolver into ready position, and dodged in through the door.

The room was still and smelled of something sickly-sweet and cloying. The smell was somehow dense, seeming to posses an actual weight as it permeated the room. The room itself was trashed, bed tossed aside, clothing and books scattered about like the aftermath of a child’s tantrum. Blood was smeared on the floor and walls, and a large, wet red stain marred the curtains of the window behind the easy chair. It looked like something heavy had slammed into the curtain and then-

And then slide down to the floor. She looked down. The missing meat cleaver pierced through the blond man’s belly, blood and other, more unfamiliar fluids crusted and dried in the fabric of his shirt. His death-blinded eyes seemed to focus on Patience.

She screamed.

***

“And then?” Ra’s asked.

Patience shivered. “My memory’s blank. Next thing I remember is hanging up the phone. I knew I’d called the phone number Mom and Dad told me to if anything like this happened, and I knew someone was coming to get me. But I don’t actually remember, uh, making the call.”

“You _were_ remarkably self-possessed for a girl in your circumstances,” Ra’s said in a seemingly good-natured tone. A little under a day of knowing him, and Patience had already figured out that the look on Ra’s face meant he was trying not to laugh at her.

“I said something fucking psycho-sounding, didn’t I?” Patience asked, wincing. Ra’s lost his battle with laughter.

“There was the momentary suspicion you might have had antisocial personality disorder, yes,” Ra’s agreed, and Patience blushed crimson.

“Tell me,” she demanded.

Was that…? Patience wondered, watching Ra’s. Yes, she decided, that was _definitely_ a smile Ra’s was suppressing. “I believe your exact words were ‘my parents are missing and there’s a fresh corpse in the master bedroom. Dad said to call you if something like this happened.’ End quote.”

“Oh god,” Patience moaned, hiding her face. “Kill me now. I sound just like my _Mom_.”


End file.
